A QUICK TRIP FROM AMSTERDAM
VOLENDAM, MARKEN, and EDAM...a quick little trip from Amsterdam:
Taken directly from the pages of Earl Steinbicker's guidebook Daytrips Holland, Belgium & Luxembourg: 40 One-Day Adventures by Rail, Bus or Car, Fourth Edition
Volendam is almost certainly the number one daytrip destination for tourists staying in Amsterdam. Most of its many visitors come on highly promoted guided tours, but you can have much more fun by doing it yourself. Not only will you see more worthwhile sights, but you'll travel at your own pace — and save money, too. This easy little excursion includes a boat trip to nearby Marken, and winds up in the delightful cheese town of Edam before returning to Amsterdam.
Sophisticated travelers may dismiss Volendam — and to some extent Marken — as tourist traps, which of course they are, but they're good ones if taken in the right spirit. Cute, quaint, and ever so commercialized, these two small towns can nevertheless be very enjoyable places to visit. Much less touristed, Edam offers genuine Old Dutch charm along with a refreshing interlude away from the hordes.
When the former Zuider Zee was cut off from the North Sea by the completion of the Afsluitdijk in 1932, it became the IJsselmeer, which is gradually being reclaimed by the creation of polders, areas of dry land lying below sea level and protected by the dikes. Until then, both Volendam and Marken were fishing villages whose prosperity depended on access to the open sea. Now, surrounded by fresh water and under the threat of eventually becoming nearly landlocked, they have found a new source of employment in the tourist trade. Much of their charming, old-fashioned character has been preserved, even if some of it is more than a little commercialized. Despite this, and despite the pictures in travel brochures, exceedingly few of the local people continue to wear the traditional costumes they were once famous for. Edam, on the other hand, is the real thing. Lying slightly inland, its well-preserved atmosphere has made it a choice residential community for some of Amsterdam's commuters.
GETTING THERE:
This compact trio of small towns, just outside Amsterdam, is one of the few areas of Holland that is not served by rail.
Buses depart central Amsterdam frequently for the 30-minute ride to Volendam. You can board one of these from the platforms to the left as you leave Centraal Station — just across the water beyond the tourist office (VVV). Routes number 110 and 112 go direct to Volendam; take number 111 if you prefer to start with Marken. Be careful not to confuse these with the NZH "Marken Express" bus, which is for package tours.
By Car, take the Ij Tunnel from central Amsterdam and continue on the N-10 and N-247 highways to Volendam, a distance of 21 km (13 miles). It is possible to drive to Marken by way of Monnickdam, but the boat is more fun.
By Bicycle: Travelers with strong legs can easily pedal their way to all three towns. The route is level all the way, and bike paths avoid the car traffic. The total round-trip distance is a bit over 50 km (30 miles). Ask at any bike rental shop about the best route.
PRACTICALITIES:
This trip can be made on any fine day between early April and the end of October. Good weather is essential. A few sights are closed on Sunday mornings. The tourist office (VVV) for Volendam, T: (0299) 363-747, is at 37 Zeestraat, by the bus stop. In Edam, the local VVV is in the town hall on Damplein, T: (0299) 315-125.
FOOD AND DRINK:
IN VOLENDAM:
Spaander (Haven 15, just north of the harbor) A hotel with a dining rom and outdoor café. T: (0299) 363-595. €€ and €€€
Van Den Hogen (Haven 106, on the harbor) A good value for quality food. T: (0299) 363-775. €€ and €€€
Cathrien Brasserie (Haven 35, at the north end of the harbor) A popular restaurant by the waterfront, with Old Dutch atmosphere and outdoor tables. T: (0299) 363-705. € and €€
IN MARKEN:
De Taanderij (Havenbuurt 1, on the harbor) Snacks, light lunches, and full meals — with plenty of local atmosphere. T: (0299) 602-206. € and €€
IN EDAM:
De Fortuna (Spuistraat 3, near the Speeltoren) Mostly for dinner as this is a wonderful place to end the day. A light lunch is also served. T: (0299) 271-671. Light lunch €€, dinner €€€
SUGGESTED TOUR:
Numbers in parentheses correspond to numbers on the map.
CLICK ON MAP FOR A LARGE, PRINTABLE VIEW.
Begin your walk in Volendam at the bus stop (1) on Zeestraat. Those coming by car will find several parking lots in the immediate area. Next to this is the local tourist office and the Volendams Museum — a good place to get acquainted with the local lifestyle, especially as it was in times past. Here life-size interiors have been re-created, along with a general store, a boat builder's workshop, and a fishermen's hangout. There are plenty of authentic local costumes and — a most unusual treat — an entire interior decorated with millions and millions of cigar bands. T: (0299) 369-258. Open daily 10-5. €.
Continue straight ahead to the harbor and turn left. The town is full of interesting little sights, best seen by just ambling around aimlessly. The shops, cafés, and restaurants along Haven are completely tourist oriented — at some of them you can even have your picture taken wearing the old traditional costumes. There is, of course, no shortage of wooden shoes for sale, should you actually want a pair. Be sure to get off the main street and stroll among the small houses in the north and west.
Return to the harbor (2) and board a Marken Express boat to Marken, first buying a round-trip (retour) ticket and making sure that the boat is going direct to Marken. These leave about every half-hour, from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. daily, between March 1st and October 31st. There are outdoor seats on the top deck and a bar down below. T: (0299) 363-331.
Marken was an island, isolated from the rest of Holland until 1957, when a causeway was built connecting it to nearby Monnickendam. This is eventually to become part of the proposed Markenwaard polder, whose development has been held up (hopefully forever) by environmental considerations. Being Calvinist for many centuries, its traditions are quite different from those of Catholic Volendam. You will actually see older people here wearing the rather severe local costumes, and perhaps even wooden shoes. Although the island is often overrun with tourists, the natives pay little attention to them other than extracting a few euros in the shops near the harbor.
The boat arrives at Marken's compact *harbor (3), which is lined with picturesque little wooden houses. One or two of these can even be visited for a small fee. The same style of building continues throughout the entire village, which is remarkably free of traffic as only the local residents are allowed to drive there. Visitors must park in the huge lot at the end of the causeway. A walk through the village will reveal many interesting details, and should include a visit to the main church, from whose ceiling hang ship models and fishing nets. Close to this is the Marker Museum (4), located in four small adjoining smokehouses on the Kerkbuurt. Reconstructed room settings here tell the story of local life in former times, a treat not to be missed. T: (0299) 601-904. Open April-Oct., Mon.-Sat. 10-5, Sun. noon-4. €.
Just beyond the village, particularly to the north, are small market gardens, where you might see older farmers working the land in their traditional costumes, including wooden shoes. Return to the harbor and board the boat back to Volendam. Ask to make certain that it is not going somewhere else, as some of them do.
From the Volendam harbor (2), stroll back to the bus stop (1) and get on the next bus to Edam (routes 110 or 112), a trip of only 3 km (2 miles). Edam began in the 12th century as a little settlement on the Ee River, and received its charter as early as 1357. It was an important shipbuilding center until the 17th century, when flood control measures cut it off from the Zuider Zee. The surrounding land, formerly underwater, made excellent pasturage, thus paving the way for its world-famous cheese industry. Alas, precious little Edam cheese is still made in Edam itself, although the town continues to function as an aging and distribution center. You are probably familiar with Edam chese in its export version, with red skin; what is sold locally has a yellow skin and seems to have a stronger flavor. Try some!
From the Edam bus stop (5) it is only a short stroll into the heart of this lovely old town. Follow the map to the Speeltoren (6), a 15th-century tower to a church that was torn down in 1883. It has one of the oldest carillons in Holland, built in 1561, and it leans a bit to one side.
*Damplein, the picturesque main square of the town, is actually a broad humped bridge, from which there are delightful views in all directions. Next to it, in an unusually attractive 16th-century house, is the Edams Museum (7). Step inside to see the wonderful old furnishings, and don't miss the paintings of some of the local celebrities, including the 445-pound innkeeper from the 16th century and the 16th-century man with the 10-foot beard. The most unusual attraction in the museum is its floating cellar, made of bricks and tiles, which still goes up and down as the groundwater level changes. Open April-Oct., Tues.-Sat. 10-4:30, Sun. 1:30-4:30. Closed Nov.-March, Mon. €.
Across the square from this is the 18th-century Town Hall (Stadhuis) (8) with its elegant façade and interesting council chamber decorated with biblical scenes. This is also the home of the local tourist office. Now follow the map past the 15th-century Houtenhuis, the oldest wooden house in town, at the corner of Breestraat and Eilandsgracht. Grote Kerkstraat leads to the Grote Kerk of St. Nicholaas (9), an enormous Gothic church from the 15th century. It is famous for its early-17th-century stained-glass windows, 18th-century organ, and Gothic pews. Open April-Oct., 2-4:30.
Return on Matthijns Tinxgracht to the 16th-century Kaaswaag (10), where cheese was once weighed before being sold. During the summer months demonstration cheese markets are held here, and local Edam cheeses may be purchased. Markets in July-Aug., Wed., 10:30-12:30. Now return to the bus stop (5), from which bus numbers 110 or 112 will take you back to Amsterdam in only half an hour.
Copyright © 2006 by Earl Steinbicker. Modified slightly with color photos and maps for Internet use.
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